Parachute harness



F. SMITH.

PARACHUTE HARNESS.

4 kAPPLICATION FILED APR. 18. 1921.l

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

F. SMITH.

PARACHUTE HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 1'8. 1921.

1,403,984,- Pand Jan. 17,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ffy@

,ing to be a full, clear,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FLOYD SMITH, OF SAN DIEGO, caLIronNmfassIGNon To' FLOYD sMI'rIr'AEaIAL EQUIPMENT COMPANY, a CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

PmcIIUTE umass'.

`To all whom z't may concern:

Be it known that I, FLOYD SMrrrny a citizen of the United States, and residentof San Diego, San Diego County, California, and temporarily residing at Chicago, county of Cook, `State of Illinois, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Parachute Harness, and declare the followand exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and 'use the same, -reference'being had to the-accompanying drawings, which form a rt of this specification.

y invention has forits object to produce a simplel and novel harness for attaching a parachute pack to a wearer in such a manner that one can readily get into and out of the harness, can quickly and convenientl adjust it to fit his person, will have a maxlmum vfreedom of movement while wearing the harness, and be comfortable and at the same time securely held in making a descent.

The standard parachute ack of today in this country is one whic is opened by means of a release cord having at one end a ring which, is grasped b the wearer and pulled. It is of course hig ly essential that this ring be always maintained in a osition to which the wearer willinstinctive y reach when he desires to open the pack. A further obj ect vof 'the present invention is to produce a simple, novel and eiiicient means for hold- 2 ing the ring of a pull cod in'a definite,

' ment, but insuch a. manner that the wearer of the pack may easily pull the ring out of such position when the pack is to beo cned.v

' Y .after be v 'the claims; but, for a full understanding4 of fixed position agalnst accidental displace- The variousfeatures of noveltywl ereby my invention is characterized will hereinpolnted out with particularity in my invention and of its Objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken 1in connection withthe accompanyin drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front e evation of the trunk and parts of the limbs of a person wearing my Improved harness;

Fig. 2 .'s ay rear view corresponding "toA l; l, ig. 3' is a side view;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation Aonj an enlarged scale of a fralgment Of one of the strap mem- Y bers'of the a e pullv rnesvs, the for t large Specification of Letters llatent. Patented J an. 17, 1922, Application mea aprili 1s, 1921. serial No. 462,202. i

l cord, land the clip for vholding the ring in pending members connected together so as to form a single lon vU-shaped loop. This loop is made of suc -a length that it will form a swing'in which the wearer of the harness in effect sits. Near the middle portion .of the cross piece, 3, of the swing are fastened two straps, 4 and 5, which are carried forwardly between vthelegs of the wearer and are Athen detachably-connected to the lower ends of the upright ieces, 6 and 7 lof thtl swing, namely to the ower ends of theyarms of the U.l The connections between the free ends of the straps .4: and 5 andthe elements 6 and 7 are adJustable` so as to permit the crosspiece or seatielement 3 and the two straps to form two adjustable leg-encircling' bands. In the arrangement shown, eachof the members 4 and fhas at its free end a snap hook, 8, which is adapted to be hooked into anyone of a (p urality of links in a short chain, 9, attache at one end tfjthe correspending vertical member of the swing. In placing the pack on his back the wearer inserts -his arms vunderneath the suspending straps where they leave the pack, so that the vertical portions of the swingextend downwardlyl across his.l chest. To the pack, on the side next to the wearer, is secured' a 'waist strap, 10. Two other straps, 11 and 12, crossingl each other near the top ofthe'- pack are secured to the side of the latter which comes `next to the wearer, the upper end of the'strap 11 goin forwardly overthe left shoulder underneat the corresponding suspending stra and being fastened at its free end tothe vertical element,6, ofthe swing; while the lower end of the strapll passes forwardly underneath the arm of, the'wearer and lis adjustably connected by means of 'a buckle, 13, or otherwise to one end of the waist strap, 110; the. strap 1 1 being long enough s O that on a rson itV maybe made to lie in a loop exten ingabouthalfway across the front of the wearer.v This loop portion-of the 11 isthreaded through an eye in "a sna P hook, 14, orpthelike which is adapted tO-be` strap are shortened because those engaged with a ring, 15, secured to the eleover the right shoulder of the wearer and is fastened vto the element 7, while the lower end is carried forwardly underneath the left varm and, after being looped through an eye in a snap hook, 16, is fastened to the other end. of the waist strap, 10, by means of a buckle, 17, or other adjusting' device; the hook 16 being adapted to be engaged with a ring, 18, secured to the element 7 of the swing directly opposite the ring 15.

It will be seen that the harness in unfastened, the parachutist gets into the same by simply slipping his arms, one after` the other, under the main suspending straps while the pack isat his back, thus automatically bringing the seat strap intothe proper position; this being a much simpler opera- .tion than that of putting on a loose coat and being more analogous to the simple operation of getting into a pair of trouser-sup lporting Suspenders" that have already been are hooked into the rings 15 and 18.- If thev harness happens to be too large, the adjustment is ma e at the buckles 13 and 1 7, namely between the free lower ends of the straps 11 and 12 ,and the front ends of the waist strap 10. As the harness is made smaller,

the effective upright portions of the swing ortions of the straps 11 and 12 that comel orwardly over the shoulders and are fastened to the swing elements 6 and 7 become the effective upper ends-of the swing elements until thepack is opened, p ermittingslack to be .formed in the l shoulders.'

thereof wit Vsuspen suspending members at and' behind the The pack is adapted to vbe opened by means of a pull on a release cord, indicatld at 20 in Fig. 4, and provided at the end a ring, 21, adapted to be sped by the wearer ofthe pack.' The reease c ord is carried forwardly shoulder, preferably underneath one of the ding straps. f 'In the arrangement shown, the release cord carried forwardly 24; the parts being so roportioned that the.-

'. .'whi

v vlllgtq permit overthe left shoulder between one of V the suspending straps andthe underlying strap,

'12. Fastened uponthe strap 12'just abovethe ring. 18 is a.- cli comprising a sp1-mg metal plate: 22l1avIfng-its ends bent upwardly and inwardly as indicated at 23 and on the release may latunderneatlr the members 23. vand 2 4 catedmFiga4and'5,sothatthe1-1ngw1ll securing said fastening ,upper and lower end of the right swing end of eac over the must be sprung outwardly slightly inrfelement on'one side and at` its 'the'entryof theiring', 13';

t; two points by'- spline against release from the clip. The .clip is suspending strap sothat 4it will not; accidentally be caught upon any extraneous ola ject and the ring 21 will itself be partlycovered Yby the suspending strap, although a.

portion will project in positionto be easily Iprotected by the overlying part, 7, of the and conveniently grasped when the release cord is to be pulled. v

While l have (illustrated and described" with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, l do not vdesireto be limited tothe exact structural details thus illustrated 'and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come swing in which the wearer -is adapted to be f'.

seated, `the upright elements of the swing being adapted tolie inV front o f the wearer, two crossed diagonal straps adaptedtc extend acrossv the back of the wearer, each of said diagonal straps being connected at its upper end to the upper end of the -upright swing element on one side and at its lower end tothe end of the waist strap at the opposite side, the lower end of each diagonal strap having a running connection with a fastening device, and means for detachably device between the element to which the correspon ing diagonal strap is connected.

2. A harness comprlsing a U-shaped swingv in which the `wearer is adapted to be seate lthe upright velements ,of the swing being adapted to lie in frontof the wearer, two crossed diagonal strapsl adaptedvto extend across the back of the wearer, each of said diagonal straps being connected at its upper end to the upper end of the upright swing element on one side and adjustably .con-

nected at its lower end to the.. end of the waist stra at theopposite side, the lower f -di onal'strapha a rumnn connection' wit a '.fastening' evice, an means for detachably securing said fastening device between the upperand lower end of the upright swing element' to-whch the corresponding diagonal strap is connected.

' 3. A harness comprising in whichthe wearer is a the upright elements of the' swingbeing aU-sha 'd pted to'a 'adapted'to'lie in front Aof the wearer, twoV croeseddiagonal straps' adapted to extend across the baekof the wearer,l each of slid difgonalftmp .8,11 to the up of the upright swmg the endof. thewaist strapat the o posite side, the lower-endofeach connected at its upper 1 25 ower'end to ing device, means for detachably securin sa1d asteningd'evice between the upper an lower end of the upright swing element to which the corresponding diagonal strap is connected, straps secured to the middle por- A tion of the seat element of said swing and each adapted-to encircle one of the legs of the wearer, and a detachable connection between the free ends of each of the last mentioned straps and the lower end of the corresponding upright element ofthe swing.

4.' A harness comprising a U-shaped swin in which the wearer is adapted to be yseate the upright elements of the swing `being adapted to lie in front of the wearer, two crossed diagonal straps adapted to extend across the back of'the wearer, each of said diagonal straps being connected at its upper end to the upper end of the upright swing element on one side and at its lower end to the end of the waist strap at theopposite side, thelower end of each diagonal strap having al. running connection with a fastening device, means foredetachably securing said fastening 'device between the upper and lower end of the upright swing element to which the corresponding diagonal strap is connected, and parachute suspension straps connected to the upright elements of the swing. y

5. In combination, a parachute pack adapted `to be worn on the back, a waist strap secured to the pack near the lower end thereof, two back straps crossing each other diagonally and secured to the pack above the waist strap, said back straps having extended upper ends connected together to form a swing. the lower ends of said back straps being adjustably connected toI the free ends of the waist strap, a device having a running connection with the lower end of each of said back straps adapted to be-detachably fastened to that element of the swing constituting the upper end of the corresponding back strap.

6. In combination,.a parachute pack adapted to be worn on the back, a waist strap secured -to the pack near the lower end thereof, two back straps crossing each other diagonally and secured to the pack above the waist strap, said back straps having eirtended upper ends connected together to form a sw1n-g, the lower ends of said back straps being adj ustably connected to the free v ends of the waist strap, a device having a running connection with the lower end of each of said back straps adapted to be detachably fastenedV to that element of the swing constituting'theupper end of the corresponding back strap, and leg straps each fastened'at one end to the middle of the seat portion of the swing and each adapted to be detachably connected with one of the upright elements of the swing near the lower end of the latter.

7. In combination,a parachute pack adapted to be worn on the back, a waist strap secured to the pack near the lower end thereof, two back straps crossing each other diagonally and secured to the ack above the waist strap, said back straps aving extended upper ends connected together to form a swing, the lower ends of said back straps being adjustably connected to the free ends of the waist strap, a device having a running connection with the lower end of each of said back straps adapted to be detachably fastened to that element of the swing constif tuting the upper end of the corresponding back strap, and parachute suspension straps leading out of .the pack and overlying and secured to the upper ends of said back straps.

8. In combination, a parachute pack, a harness including Vtwo overlying straps adapted to pass forwardly over the shoulders of a wearer from the pack carried on the back of the wearer, a release cord ex- FLOYD SMITH. 

